One of the great parts about hiking in British Columbia is that you get to enjoy a variety of beautiful environments that take your breath away.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

British Columbia, Canada is known for its beautiful landscapes and has many unique places to enjoy a good hike. With spring right around the corner now is the perfect time to plan for your spring or summer escape. Lace up your hiking boots, here are six gorgeous hikes in British Columbia:

The Kokanee Park is located north of Nelson, British Columbia and sits about 1,800 meters in elevation. There are over 85km of scenic trails with awe-inspiring views that reveal the grandiose size of the park. The park features two large glaciers that feed into over 30 lakes. As one of the oldest parks in the provincial system, Kokanee has remained an amazing place to visit, camp, and hike.

2) Monkman Pass Memorial Trail

Unlike the Kokanee Park, the Monkman Pass is a fairly new hiking trail that was opened in July of 2008 and has some of the most untouched wilderness in the world. There are a multitude of waterfalls to see on the hike along with lakes, rivers, and a gorge. Further down along the trail, there is a spot that was marked for a highway where the slashes are still visible on the trees. Fortunately for outdoor and scenic lovers they did not build the highway and Monkman pass remains a large beauty.

3) Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Image: Wikimedia Commons

This Canadian national park is made up of three main separate regions called Long Beach, the Broken Group islands, and the West Coast Trail. These three regions provide 511 square kilometers of diverse scenery from temperate rain forests to sandy beaches and cliffs. If you are looking for a long hike with a lot of diversity to keep the trip interesting, then the Pacific Rim is a good place to consider. In addition to hiking, there are many places to kayak and fish with the water in the Broken Group Islands.

4) Cariboo Chilcotin Coast

The Cariboo Chilcotin Coast has many different hiking and outdoor trails and activities with many historic sites and even the gold rush trail. The coast has trails and scenes for hikers of all experience levels with daily strolls to multiple day hiking and camping trips. With warm red, yellow, orange, and lavender colored mountains and the scenic Williams Lake River Valley Trail, the coast is a great place to hike for the outdoors people that like to see different types of nature.

(4) Powell River Hiking

The Sunshine Coast Trail was founded in 1992 and is one of the most well-known hiking trails in the region with a 180 km distance. This trail is a little more challenging than some of the others and is suitable for those with a taste for a little bit of adventure. The whole Powell River area has tons of other activities to do like fishing, kayaking, and relaxing on the many beaches of the area.

5) Mount Robson Provincial Park

The Robson provincial park has many great sites to see like Mount Robson, the Robson River, and the Berg Lake. The park has trails for all fitness and skill levels and is known for its wildlife like mountain goats which can be spotted on the hike. With many rivers and lakes close and easy access, fishing for rainbow trout and bull trout is a great way to experience the outdoors on extended hikes and camping trips.

Hiking over the same trails many times can get redundant. Try out some new trails by visiting a new place like British Columbia where there are dozens of well-known parks, trails, and natural environments to explore.

*****************************About the Author: James writes for 5.11 Tactical, creators of superior outdoor products like flashlights and hiking boots you can follow him on Twitter – @jimmydaugherty